The Alaskan Malamute is an incredibly beautiful dog but one that has much more in store for its owner than its looks. This breed is larger, too, so size is an important consideration in selecting this pet over others. They are great pets for families that can provide for their characteristic qualities of eagerness and overpowering at times. This is a highly energetic style of dog but one that is ideal for pleasing their owners. You will need to provide enough physical activity to keep him healthy.

Rattings :

Ease of Training

3 /10

Intelligence

3 /10

Shedding

10 /10

Watchdog

2 /10

Guard Dog

5 /10

Popularity

7 /10

Size

7 /10

Agility

6 /10

Good with Kids

10 /10

Attributes

Life Expectancy

12 to 15 years

Litter Size

5 to 6 puppies at a time.

Group

Working Class

Color

The coloring of their coats range widely. They are often various shades of white and grey. Other combinations include black and white, pure white, red and white as well as sable and white.

Size

Required Living Area

Your Alaskan Malamute will be a very active animal. For this reason, they do need space. Apartment living is not the best suited for them because they need to run and move. They can and should live indoors, but they will need a large enough yard to run and roam.

Breed Details

Overview

The Alaskan Malamute is an incredibly beautiful dog but one that has much more in store for its owner than its looks. This breed is larger, too, so size is an important consideration in selecting this pet over others. They are great pets for families that can provide for their characteristic qualities of eagerness and overpowering at times. This is a highly energetic style of dog but one that is ideal for pleasing their owners. You will need to provide enough physical activity to keep him healthy. A key to owning an Alaskan Malamute is to truly know what you are getting into. Because these dogs are very intelligent animals, they often provide an overall level of excitement and will test your patience. They are clever and looking for ways to intrigue you. If you are considering this pet, be sure that you have plenty of time for playing and exercising your Alaskan Malamute. He will demand it of you! The Alaskan Malamute is a working class dog and this is evident right from the start as they are generally well built, very strong animals. As a pet owner, you do need to take into consideration just how powerful this breed of dog will be. While the Alaskan Malamute is a dog that is dependable and built for working, they are also very predatory animals and care must be paid to smaller animals in the home. In addition, you should be sure to have a fenced in yard or some other way to allow the dog to remain on your property as they are prone to exploring as well as taking off as the predator. In addition, they like to dig. One consideration for the Alaskan Malamute is their coat. They can live anywhere, but their coats are very heavy and this requires being kept cool in extremely high temperatures.

History

Perhaps one of the most undisputed facts about the Alaskan Malamute is that he is one of the most unaltered breeds found today. They are descendants of dogs that lives with the Mahlemut Tribe that was located in upper portions of western Alaska. These were very distinctive and necessary animals and often were just as important to the people in their area. They helped with virtually all facets of life including hunting and working with them as well as living with them. In and around the time of the Klondike Gold Rush, these dogs were quite in demand and although many tried to breed them with other dogs for later sale or to somehow improve the breed, most attempts seemed to have failed. The Alaskan Malamute is one of the oldest known breeds of dogs today with DNA proof backing this claim. An important note to remember about these dogs was what they were breed for. Unlike other Alaskan breeds, the Mal was breed for its ability to pull weight and for other large workloads. They were often able to pull hundreds of pounds of weight and could move villages and camps when they worked with other Alaskan Malamutes.

Character

In most cases, the Alaskan Malamute is going to be a highly energetic dog. As a pet this will mean providing constant attention and physical activity for the dog especially as they grow and need physical fitness to stay healthy. You will find that these dogs are very intelligent and can be trained to fill your needs as well. The Alaskan Malamute is also known for being a very independent dog. It does not need or want other animals with it most of the time. He will be a loyal pet and will often provide you with the protection that you need. Yet, there will be times when your Mal, as they are often called, will not obey you. For example, as these dogs are often used in sledding, it is not uncommon to hear of an Alaskan Malamute not listening to his or her owner and saving their life in the process. They are independent in thought but not often negatively so. These dogs are also friendly animals in terms of living in the family unit. While they do not always like other pets around them, they do very well when it comes to having other family members. You will find that they are also very loving and affectionate towards you. In fact, many of them do not make very good guard dogs because they are too trusting and affectionate of people. It is important to note that puppy Alaskan Malamutes is much more energetic and hyper even than adult dogs. As they age they often mellow into dependable, calmer pets, especially when they are provided with enough attention and exercise.

Health Care

The Alaskan Malamute has a very thick and coarse coat and would do well with a good brushing twice a week. They are very heavy shedders and there undercoat comes out in clumps twice a year. Bathes for this breed really aren't necessary as they easily shed dirt. Also as an energetic working dog they do best with some space to run or a walk at least twice a day.

Grooming

Due to your Mal's heavy coat, you should be sure to provide proper grooming to your pet. This will require a brushing at least several times per week. You'll want to be sure that the dog cared for in terms of his teeth too. Brush his teeth as often as your brush his coat (at least three times per week.) In addition, his toe nails will need to be trimmed properly as they grow. The coat of the dog will shed two times per year. When this happens, it is likely that large amounts of the dog's hair will come out in clumps. This is nothing to worry about and is normal shedding for the dog. Brushing will help to minimize shedding. As far as bathing goes, you don't have to worry about doing so very often. In fact, besides to cool down in hot water it is almost unnecessary to give your Alaskan Malamute a bath. You will want to use a dry shampoo on him about one time every other month. Otherwise, the dogs will take care of their own grooming in terms of bathing. You'll find that he isn't a breed that will smell or remain dirty. He'll take care of himself for the most part!

Training

The Alaskan Malamute is an intelligent and clever dog. They were bred for many years because of their ability to haul and work hard, making them a perfect like bred with this combination. They are dependable and responsible, also qualities that are good for training. Because these dogs are highly active, they will often require intensive training to help them to learn how to behave and what is not acceptable behavior. You'll find that establishing a routine for the dog from morning through night can help them to understand what you want from them. More so, you will want to provide them with an outlet where they can run and play to release that energy that they often have. Training for this bread of dog should be positive and rewarding over anything else. They do not like negative attention but will display this type of temperament if they are not provided with enough attention and exercise. These dogs will do well in obedience training classes, but do not do so with smaller dogs as this can often cause their predatory instincts to come to play. You will find that the training for the Alaskan Malamute is going to be better in terms of providing them with good manners rather than trying to train them to formal obedience training. It is also important realize that these dogs love to please their master and will do what it takes to do so. You'll find that males are more dominant and harder to train than females. One area where you may have problems training your Mal is with housetraining. They will take more work and more persistence to train in this area.

Activity and Exercise

The Alaskan Malamute is a highly energetic animal and for that reason need to be exercised and played with often. Since they were raised for use in the workforce, they are able to devote a lot of attention. They want to be kept busy. You will want to spend time playing physical games with this breed. You should also give him at least a full hours worth of walking per day for exercise. It is important to remember that with the Alaskan Malamute you do need to keep the animal under human control. Although they are highly intelligent and can definitely be trained, you should not trust them to be able to remain in this composure especially around small dogs or other animals. They should always be leashed whenever they are being walked.